Chapter 272: Strike Gun Awakening!

Battle Maidens, why not just call them Magical Girls? Or, apart from their names, are there decisive differences between them and other kinds of Magical Girls?

The attire during transformation?

The power of fists and kicks?

The heart to protect?

No! None of those!

Though they excel in these aspects, the field of Magical Girls is so crowded that Battle Maidens still carve out their own space—by fighting and beating people with singing!

There are no humans in this world who can sing normally during high-intensity combat… but then again, Battle Maidens are hardly normal to begin with.

When they transform, they must perform a ritual called 【Sacred Chant】!

It is a short, melodic phrase, similar to a spell, that Symphogear wearers must chant while equipping; the lyrics, like the Final Song, are in an unknown language, but include the names of Sacred Relic fragments.

The Sacred Chant cannot be memorized—it arises spontaneously within the wearer's heart, that is, the so-called—cry of the soul!

"But…"

Even so, being suddenly asked to sing—especially an inner song—Hana Hikari was utterly lost.

"But I… I can't sing…"

Not only did she feel no special power from the Sacred Relic fragment already fused with her, she couldn't even sense the lyrics suddenly appearing in her mind—it was just some ordinary, utterly mundane metal shards.

This isn't even a life-or-death situation—how is this anything but an impossible demand?

"Then fine."

Jia Ji nodded as if suddenly understanding, his face losing all smile, turning serious.

He immediately swung his arm, raised a fist the size of a sandbag, and aimed it straight at the frail girl standing before him.

"Y-You're going to do what?!"

"Don't you understand? For humans, the most important thing is 'what shakes the marrow of the brain!'"

Since awakening couldn't happen under normal circumstances, he would create a scenario where awakening was unavoidable—a scene that made the brain tremble.

Joy, sorrow, anger, love, pain… and that uncontrollable, primal sense of crisis humans feel when their life is threatened—the fear of death!

"So, clench your teeth—"

Jia Ji's eyes radiated a violent, unsettling aura; his terrifying expression sent a chill down the spine of the thirteen-year-old middle school girl, freezing her heart with dread.

"Boom————!"

A massive explosion, like a gunshot, erupted instantly.

This punch conveyed a terrifying sensation—as if a thunderbolt surged and a tidal wave roared; had anyone been watching, they would have felt the world spin, as if a flash had torn open space itself, as if this unimaginable brute force would split the world apart.

The leaves of surrounding trees withered and fell, one by one, at speeds visible to the naked eye—even before the punch's wind touched them, as if they had been "killed" prematurely.

And what of Hana Hikari, facing this mid-level straight punch head-on?

——Ah, help!

She desperately wanted to scream—but she couldn't. Not even a cry escaped her throat.

Her throat dried, pupils shrank, heart paused, face turned deathly pale… in that moment, the girl's mind held only one thought.

I'm going to die! I'm definitely going to die!

She had no doubt—her life would be snuffed out in an instant by this simple punch.

There was no way to dodge that fist!

Sensations of suffocation, drowning, electric shock—all the lethal stimuli capable of exploding the nerves surged into her brain like red-hot iron rods; chaotic despair made her shut her eyes.

Why did this happen to me?

Why her?

Why must it be her?

"Open your eyes! Don't give up on living!"

The voice of Amane Kanade suddenly echoed in her ear.

And at the same time, humanity's most primal survival instinct surged, intensified, exploded!

A vast emotion welled up from the deepest core of her heart—emotion called "anger." Her golden eyes gradually turned crimson as blood; her panicked, pallid face was slowly veiled in faint black.

Like an enraged beast, she gnashed her teeth and growled—a sound like shattering glass suddenly rang out.

——At that very moment,

"Strike Gun·Gungnir" activated!

【Balwisyallnescellgungnirtron】

There was no time to think, no awareness even—but… Hana Hikari's own Sacred Chant began echoing around her.

A bright orange glow erupted from the cross-shaped wound on her chest, shooting skyward, blazing and terrifying; a tidal wave of immense power radiated outward from her, causing the entire park's forest to tremble as if swept by an invisible force.

The orange light enveloped her body; though originally without substance, it solidified in an instant to counter the pressure surging toward her, hardening into a sharply defined battle armor.

A hardened armor covering half her body, primarily orange and white, form-fitting; a headset-like headpiece adorned her head, two sharp white spines extending diagonally upward from each side, like blades; a knife-edge collar split from her neck; her fists were encased in black gloves, her feet sheathed in black battle boots.

Most striking of all were the cylindrical white armors on her forearms, radiating an uncanny mechanical aura, pulsing with hidden, surging power.

Her presence swelled; her crimson eyes locked onto the fist hurtling toward her, her face now a dark, oppressive mask, roaring like a trapped beast, as if she had lost all reason.

"Ughhhhhhh—!!"

Then, the girl's black battle boots slammed forward— with that single step, the ground cracked and shattered like it had been crushed by a steamroller, forming a massive depression; cracks spread like spiderwebs.

The armor on her arms shot out at high speed, emitting metallic explosions; her black-gloved fist clenched tight, muscles taut, unleashing a punch with unprecedented force—full power, fully unleashed!

"Boom—!"

Moisture in the air condensed upon contact with the punch's supersonic tip, forming concentric white shockwaves along her arm, like a mortar blast.

Seeing the Battle Maiden not only transformed successfully but had seemingly entered a darkened state, Jia Ji grew uneasy.

"Hah… did this work a little too well?"

But it was too late now—let's just knock her down!

Amid the girl's scream, two fists—uneven in size, both wrapped in howling winds—crashed together in midair.

(End of Chapter)